Oxidation of nitrogen by means of electricity.



No. 887,326. PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.

D. HELBIG. OXIDATION OF NITROGEN BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 23, 19"

Fig

DLMETRIO HELBIG, OF ROME, ITALY.

oxrna'rron or NITROGEN BY MEANS or ELECTRICITY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed January 23, 1905. Serial No. 2%,442.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DEMETRIO HELBIG, professor of electrochemistry, residing at Rome, Italy, 39 Panisperna, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in the Oxidation of Nitrogen by Means of Electricity, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent of the Kingdom of Italy, dated August 6, 1904, No. 73,167,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is a processof oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen by causing it to pass, only with oxygen or mixed with other gases, through an electric flame (arc) burning between two cooled electrodes and surrounded by certain fireproof materials so that the flame is thereby confined or closed and the gas mixture is thus obliged to pass the whole space filled with the flame The materials used for confining the space of the flame are metal oxids, such as'the oxids of calcium and magnesium which when heated are capable of ionizing the gases in their vicinity, i. e. increasing the electric conductivity of same. The points of the electrodes may equally be surrounded. with such materials so that the points extend beyond the said materials. By this arrangement the above said ionizing action is furthermore increased. The principal advantagesobtain'ed by the said arrangement are the following (a) The current necessary to feed the electric flame obtained under the above described circumstances needs only a otential of about 300600 volts, whereby t e apparatus is considerably simplified and a great safety is obtained;

(1)) The flame burning under the above said conditions is very constant and is not detached even by the passage of a very rapid gas current, so that in the same unity of time and with a given quantity of electric energy consumed in the flame, great quantities of as mixture may be subjected to the action 0? the flame;

(c) As the whole of the gas mixture admitted into the a paratus is obliged to pass the zone heated l y the electric flame to the temperature of reaction, on the discharge from the apparatus the oxids of nitrogen are obtained diluted with the least possible of unaltered assed gases;

((1) e fact of working with a great quantity of energy in one place and acting on a great quantity of gas mixture allows of the most advantageous utilization of the energy, losses by irradiation etc. being reduced to a minimum;

(e) The heat conveyed by ithe gases from the zone of the flame may easily be given up I again to the fresh gases fed' to the flame, whereby a further economy of'e'nergy is re alized. p

The. annexed drawing shows a practical application of the above mentioned princies. p In the said drawings 00 is a block of one of the said materials (f. i. magnesia, lime, etc), 1), p are the electrodes the points of which are surrounded with the same materials (m Fig. 3) and, if necessary, prevented from melting by liquid cooling in the manner shown. The said electrodes extend through two holes at the sides of block :13, into a canal y passing through the block, and are provided with packing h, h. The electric flame is lighted as an ordinary arc, the electrodes the block and enter at z the channel y, which may be termed a chamber, where they cross the flame, assing then through channel y and are discharged from the apparatus through tube 0.

I From the foregoin it will be seen that when the arc is struc within the chamber, above described, the surfaces of the walls of which chamber are of ionizing material, and

during a time when there is present within the chamber some of the gas to be treated that this will be ionized by the electric flame, and that as the length of the arc is increased the ionizing will continue, and that after the arc has been sufficiently lengthened so that the flame passing across the same com letely fills the chamber that such flame will inten cept the stream of gas flowing through the chamber, since if the stream ofgas is flowing through-the chamber and a flame is passing across the chamber and .filling the s ace thereof one must intercept the other an the desired results will be accomplished.

The heat conveyed by the gases from the flame is given up to the walls of y and c and by the latter to the counter current of fresh gases passing through I) and r so that these gases reach .2 in a re-heated condition.

The purpose of t e plates d is both to produce tight closure and prevent losess of heat. The mica plate 3 allows the inspection of the flame.

Having now described in said invention and the manner in which tli e same is to be performed I declare that whatl'claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The art of oxidizing atmos heric nitrogenywhich consists in passin t e gas to be treated throu h a chamber avin the surfaces of its wa of ionizing materia striking an electric are within the chamber and ionizing the gasflierein, and increasing the length of the are until the flame passing across 0 the are fills the chamber and. intercepts the stream of gas assi' through the same.

2. The art 0 oxidizing atmos heric nitrogen whioh consists in pass t e as to be treated through a chamber, t sur ace walls 25 of which are of magnesium oxid, striking an electric are within said chamber and ionizing the gas therein and increasing the length 0 the arc until the are flame ses across and completely .fills the cross "section of the 30 chamber.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' DEMETRIO HELBIG. 

